Michelle's Fashion Guru Revealed

Meet Ikram Goldman, the garment gatekeeper responsible for Michelle Obama's much-talked about style. The high-end Chicago boutique owner, whose namesake shop stocks nearly all of the designers Mrs. Obama has donned since joining her husband on the campaign trail (save for Mrs. O favorite J. Crew, of course), is credited with conceiving many of the First Lady's now infamous fashion choices. Take Mrs. Obama's iconic Inaugural gown, for instance: "all details regarding the making of Mrs. Obama's wardrobe for the inaugural were overseen by Ms. Goldman, who kept designers in the dark about whether their outfit would be chosen," the New York Times says. Goldman's influence over Mrs. Obama's closet seems to have incited as much criticism as it has sympathy. After all, Cathy Horyn adds in the Times on Friday, "women, whether they are homemakers with children or women with demanding careers, have been relying on specialty stores and personal shoppers for years."